


What could have been

by Shyfan525



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-24 03:11:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17696546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shyfan525/pseuds/Shyfan525
Summary: After a change in the timeline, Charlie finds herself alone on the jumpship. However, as she arrives on the seemingly deserted Waverider, she encounters someone who makes her question her feelings towards a certain teammate.





	What could have been

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all! This is my fic so I hope you enjoy it! Thoughts/constructive criticisms are appreciated!   
> I don’t own Legends of Tomorrow. But holy crap do I wish I did.  
> TW for murder and mentions of murder and suicide

Charlie was starting to get annoyed. It has been god knows how long since she started this “timeline fixing” bullox and while seeing different versions of the legends was fun at first, the luster quickly wore off.   
Then it became boring.   
And now it was starting to become annoying. 

She was just coming back from saving this twit (Gary or some shite) from a unicorn. Apparently losing his nipple is what convinced the government to even listen to the bureau in the first place. If he dies, they lose proof and by extension: funding. She prayed to whatever god was out there that the 37th time was the charm.   
As the jumpship entered the time stream, Charlie closed her eyes braced herself in case of a timequake. As the seconds went by without so much as a tremor she felt happiness and relief. “Well Z, guess you were wrong,” Charlie said as she turned around, “the timeline is our bitch after a-.” She stopped dead as she saw Zari and John disappearing before her very eyes. 

It was like they were fading in and out of reality, and they were gone before they could say a single word. For the first time in a very long time, Charlie had nothing to say. She had only been with the legends for a short while, but to see them disappear, to die, right in front of her…. she couldn’t have been ready for that. Zari in particular. While the two often fought, the shapeshifter had recently been feeling something different towards the girl. She couldn’t begin to describe them, but as she saw Zari disappear it was as though her heart…..

“No” she said and turned back to the console. You can feel shit later, right now we need to fix this. As Charlie booted up the ship she went through the plan for how to deal with this mess. Get to Gideon. Find out what happened. Fix the mistake. It was a simple, yet effective plan that had been tempered through 36 other realities. ‘Except,’ Charlie thought, ‘those times we had Zari.’

‘I had Zari.’

***  
As the jump ship landed in the wave rider Charlie immediately knew that something was different. For one, the loading bay was covered in incantations and warding. The occupants were protecting themselves from something. Something powerful.

As Charlie made her way through the ship, the first thing she noticed was that it was dark. The only lights that were on were some small indicators on the floor. “Gideon?” Charlie called for the comforting AI, but got no reply. 

Instead, she heard a voice say “guess the whole system is screwed.” It was Zari’s voice. “Ship’s on her last legs. Gideon is down, and we seem to only be using reserve power.” Charlie looked for the source but found the voice was only in her head. Charlie smiled, it seems as though hanging out with Zari in the engine room was rather educational. She should do it more often. ‘As if hearing her voice wasn’t motivation enough.’

It still amazed her though. She knew the waverider was a machine, but it had always felt as alive as its inhabitants. Now it was as though it had lost the life it once had.

Like a bottle without a genie.

Memories of the jinn served to distract Charlie from her current situation (she really should give Zahra a visit sometime). However, these were cut short when she tripped on something, causing her to face plant on the floor. After dusting herself off the turned around to discover the culprit: a large glass bottle. She picked up the bottle and took a look at the label. It was clear with a picture of ice on the logo and Russian letters on the side.

‘It’s vodka.’

The realization of where she was and what had happened hit her like a truck. 

Almost all these timelines had something in common; someone dead who isn’t supposed to be. Sometimes it was one person, other times it was a couple, rarely it was the whole team. But as bad as those all were, they were nothing compared to when all but one were killed. Something inside them breaks and causes them to pursue self-destruction. Sara formed a murder group called Sirens of Spacetime. Ray started hunting creatures and used their abilities to “upgrade” himself into the “murder machine”. The only one who didn’t turn out a psychopath was Mick, oddly enough. However, losing the legends, the best family he ever had, took a toll on him. The mere memory of seeing him hang himself was enough to make Charlie sick. 

As Charlie moved to the bridge, she began to hear some noise (this time, not in her head). She followed the noise of laughter mixed with crying and discovered it was coming from Zari’s room. She opened the door tentatively.

“Oh my god”

It was her (or at least a version of her) laying on Zari’s bed watching some kind of video. But this one was different. Her hair was little more than a tangled, uncut mess. Her eyes were lifeless, and the bags that were under them looked like they were carrying a century’s worth in pain. Those same eyes were also looking right at her with a look of both surprise and apathy.  
“You’re…..” the older woman sized her up “...me?” 

“Well,” Charlie said, “I suppose the only way I’m not is if you are a very messed up Amaya.”

Alt Charlie looked down. “You must be from before,” she started to tear up, “before she died.”

Charlie was confused. While she could admit that she had grown rather fond of the team since joining them, there was one a single one of them whose death would have this effect on her. ‘Except one,’ she thought. “I’m sorry..who are you talking about?”

The other Charlie almost smiled. “Way before then, it seems.” She patted a spot next to her on the bed and motioned for her to sit. “Well then, watch this with me. I may as well help myself out.” Charlie complied and her double restarted the video.

It started off at a banquet of some sorts. All the legends were sitting on a long table, each donning suits and dresses. In the middle were Zari and Charlie, the best dressed of all. Charlie was wearing a nice black suit, while Zari donned a beautiful white dress. They both seemed truly happy….together.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“Yes,” the other Charlie answered, “it’s the happiest day of our lives: our wedding.”

The reception consists of speeches from several of the team members. Sara announcing that she “knew they were going to end up in the sack from day one.” Ray talking about how proud he was of the people they had become. And Mick gave a toast to “two of the best crew members he ever had” (that one actually made Charlie tear up a bit). The video came to an end and the older doppelgänger turned to Charlie.

“So. Now that that’s over, I believe that there is something we need to discuss.”

***  
“So you’re from an alternate timeline? Now it makes sense.” They had made their way to kitchen and were each drinking a beer (or in her double’s case: chugging it). “Makes sense that my fucked up world is one that wasn’t meant to be.”

Charlie used this opportunity to get some answers. “I’ve actually been meaning to ask, what the fuck actually happened here anyway?”

The other Charlie’s eyes grew cold. “We were married about 6 months when it happened. We were happy,” the other Charlie cracked a pained smile, “really really happy. I helped her find peace for her brother, and she managed to get me to give up drinking. On our wedding day, we even found a way to get rid of my shapeshifting so we could be together.”

This information shocked Charlie. Shapeshifting was part of who she was. She felt broken when it was taken away and had fucked the timeline into a coma to get her abilities back. But the woman standing before her chose to give them up. Hell, she even made it sound like it was the best decision of her life. The idea of loving someone that much to give up her powers was unthinkable, and yet right in front of her was evidence it was possible. “So what made it go to shit?”

“We were out on a mission and we all got trapped. The only way out was through a room full of chlorine gas. Zari had the air totem so she could last the longest. She told us she would make it we let her go. But by the time the gas cleared and we managed to get out it was too late.” The other Charlie started crying. “I had to experience the love of my life die in my arms while I could do nothing but watch.”

The sight of herself being so utterly broken caught Charlie. All her life she had simply moved from one life to the next. Nothing ever got to her, and it was unsettling to see herself like this. 

The other Charlie continued. “After that, everything blended together. The mourning, the burial, the solitude. Then one day this bloke comes to me and offered a way to bring her back. All it would take is the hearts of all the magical beasts.”

Charlie’s eyes grew wide. “No….you didn’t….you couldn’t have.”

The other Charlie hung her head in shame. “I did. I slaughtered them all without hesitation. The other legends tried to stop me but I made sure they couldn’t time travel anymore.” The other Charlie noticed her horror. “It was a temporary thing, just to make sure they couldn’t stop me before I was done.” She took another shot of whiskey. “Not that it mattered though. It turned out he was a demon, Neron or some shit. I had been doing his dirty work all along. He was powering himself up one heart at a time.”

“Did you at least try to stop him?”

“By the time I realized who he was it was too late. He was too powerful for anyone to stop. The world is a hellscape now, everyone is dead and there is nothing that can save this world. All he needs now is one thing before he becomes invincible.”

Charlie suddenly realized, “it’s you isn’t it? You’re the last heart he needs.”

Her doppelgänger nodded. “You have been staying in the temporal zone to avoid him, haven’t you? How long have you been here anyway?”

Alt Charlie got up and began to pace around the room. “I don’t even know anymore. I counted days for a bit, but after the main power failed I just stopped caring. I’m going to die here anyway, it’s only a matter of time.”

Charlie grew desperate. “Then please help me fix this.” She stood up and grabbed her double’s hand. “I’ve told you my story. Just tell me, what happened to you that didn’t happen to me?”

The other Charlie scoffed. “I’m almost offended that you couldn’t guess it sooner.” She leaned in and whispered in Charlie’s ear. “Zari was the one who found me in London.”

As Charlie turned to leave with the information, she felt her double’s grip tighten. “Listen, I need to tell you something.”

“If it’s understanding you want, you lost that the minute you became a mass murderer.”

“Look,” she turned Charlie around, “I’ve, WE’VE, done some bad things in our long life. But loving Zari was one of the few things I will never regret.” Charlie scoffed but her double held firm. “I know you love her too. Take it from someone who lost her. Cherish every minute you have with her. Whether or not she loves you back in your timeline, I can wholeheartedly say that you will be all the better for it. 

For once in her very long life, Charlie felt exposed on a level that went beyond physical. The feelings she had been afraid to admit this whole time were being dragged into the light by none other than herself. Slowly, she asked a question. “What if she hates me?”

For a moment, her doppelgänger’s pain seemed to fade away and he smiled. “If it makes you feel better, she hated me for a while too. But when Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe say that your relationship makes THEM believe in soulmates, well…maybe some things are meant to be.” With that, she let go, and Charlie went to the loading bay to correct history.

***

As she guided the jump ship to the right time period, she heard an odd noise from somewhere in the temporal zone. It sounded like an...explosion? She turned the ship around and saw the burning remains of the wave rider floating in the river of time.

“I’m going to die here anyway, only a matter of time.” This was her plan all along. Killing herself as penance for dooming the world. Charlie wasn’t much the praying type (comes with being trapped in hell for an eternity), but after seeing her future self commit suicide she decided to make an exception. She prayed that wherever her doppelgänger ended up, she was with the one she loved more than life itself.

***(timeskip for plot)

Zari was still reeling from the from the whole debacle with Constantine and Charlie. The constant timeline changes made by the dumbass duo pissed her off, and the physical changes that resulted made her far more uncomfortable than she would like to admit. But when all was said and done it was actually Charlie that came and comforted her. For the past month Charlie had been nothing but a pain in the ass to her, but somewhere in their foray into insanity something had changed. 

It started after the timeline where she straight up disappeared. After she regained...existence apparently….Charlie started being nicer her. She helped her through the sudden physical changes, she began to be more careful, and, oddly enough, Charlie started listening to her. Zari tried to ask her about that timeline but she remained oddly quiet about it. Not that Zari was worried or anything.

“Why do think I kept coming back to this form?”

That question pulled Zari off her train of thought. She looked at Charlie up and down and before she could stop herself she said: “because Amaya is very hot.” No one knew how she felt about Amaya, she had kept that crush hidden the minute she found out the other woman was as straight as one of Oliver’s arrows. It was one of the reasons she had hated Charlie from the start. She didn’t like that some shapeshifter was parading as Amaya. ‘Though it IS a very fine shape.’ 

And now here it was. 

Her greatest, shameful, secret laid bare.

Charlie only muttered something under her breath. Zari barely heard it, but it sounded like “let’s try for a good ending this time.” 

Whatever the hell that meant.


End file.
